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Do you suffer from chronic neck stiffness and pain? Does it sometimes stop you from being able to do the things you love and enjoy? Neck stiffness and pain can even make doing your job difficult, and cause the issue to flare up more. The problem is you need to go about your daily routine, so how can you do so in a more comfortable manner? Here are some of the best ways you can manage chronic neck stiffness and pain so you can get back to doing the things you love. Keep in mind that a combination of these tips may give you better results.
Use a Heating Pad in the Affected Area
If your first inclination is to grab an ice pack to place on your neck, you may be holding back recovery. Ice packs are wonderful during the first 48 to 72 hours of an injury or flare-up. The ice will help to reduce inflammation, which does cause pain and stiffness. However, after those initial 2-3 days, the ice doesn’t offer much benefit.
At that point, you’re best to switch to a heating pad, which works to relax muscle spasms and that clenching feeling. A hot shower can also be extremely helpful with the stream directed at your neck.
Keep Your Body in Motion – Keep the Muscles Loose
Another tip is to keep the body moving and the muscles loose. When you feel stiffness and pain you may assume rest is ideal, but this often causes the muscles to tighten up more. In other words, you’ll worsen the symptoms. Light stretches and exercises are a great way to keep the area loose and moving and prevent further stiffening and inflammation. Focus on gentle and slow movement rather than anything too intense.
Do You Have the Proper Sleep Set-Up?
If you find yourself waking up in pain and in worse shape than when you went to bed, then your sleep position, mattress and pillow may need tweaking. The worst position for neck pain is your stomach, while the best is your side. There are neck pillows that are meant to hold your neck and head in the proper alignment and offer the right kind of support. As well, a firm mattress is best for those with chronic neck pain.
Try a Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massage can be another highly-effective treatment option. Deep tissue massage can focus on the deepest layers of your tendons, tissue and joints. This makes it perfect for neck stiffness and pain since the source tends to be deeply embedded. If you’re getting a targeted massage of just the neck, 30 minutes is usually ideal.
A deep tissue massage Oxfordshire offers clients a choice between a targeted back, neck and shoulder massage of the full body. You may even want to switch it up and do 30 minutes at one visit and then a full body 60-minute massage at the next visit to ensure you stay pain-free.
Relief Is Just Around the Corner
Using these tips you’ll find that relief for your chronic neck stiffness and pain is just around the corner.
To read more on topics like this, check out the Health category
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